Analysts Set Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) PT at $336.40

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the nine ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $336.40.

A number of research firms have issued reports on LAD. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Lithia Motors from $298.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $375.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LAD traded down $5.00 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $295.86. The stock had a trading volume of 215,160 shares, compared to its average volume of 194,807. Lithia Motors has a 1-year low of $205.97 and a 1-year high of $331.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.29, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.58. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $294.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $286.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 1.41.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported $8.24 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.11 by $0.13. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 3.22% and a return on equity of 17.33%. The business had revenue of $7.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.95 billion. The business's quarterly revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $9.05 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors will post 35.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Saturday, March 9th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.68%. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is presently 5.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total value of $40,208.40. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,662 shares of the company's stock, valued at $495,010.08. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.79% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LAD. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,823,369 shares of the company's stock valued at $929,679,000 after acquiring an additional 15,962 shares during the last quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 7.2% during the second quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC now owns 1,147,259 shares of the company's stock valued at $348,893,000 after buying an additional 77,437 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 3.8% in the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 807,874 shares of the company's stock worth $242,459,000 after purchasing an additional 29,352 shares during the last quarter. MFN Partners Management LP boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 43.0% during the 1st quarter. MFN Partners Management LP now owns 751,077 shares of the company's stock worth $225,413,000 after acquiring an additional 225,806 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 0.3% during the third quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 678,611 shares of the company's stock worth $200,414,000 after acquiring an additional 2,200 shares during the period.

About Lithia Motors

Lithia Motors, Inc operates as an automotive retailer worldwide. It operates in two segments, Vehicle Operations and Financing Operations. The company's Vehicle Operations segment sells new and used vehicles; provides parts, repair, and maintenance services; vehicle finance; and insurance products.